[HenrysMom401]

EJ Graff's anti-adoption propaganda made it into the Washington Post yesterday...an ENTIRE PAGE! I felt like throwing up. She suggests of course that ALL foreign adoptions are fraudulent and corrupt. Ugh. I am so sick of her recycling this article, and disgusted that the Post would grant her so much space. I will write a letter to the editor, but what am I to tell my son when cruel kids tell him at school that we "stole" him?

[Betelnut]

I saw that article too. I'm getting good at just ignoring (or trying to ignore) this kind of negativity.

One of my thoughts was, how the heck was my daughter "stolen" when her mother had to appear in court multiple times, undergo DNA testing and be interviewed by a social worker?

Sheesh, I'm pretty sure my daughter was a legitimate surrender!

That said, I feel for the families that do have their children taken. Unfortunately the article (flowchart more like it), made it sound like all countries are the same and that almost all adoptions are illegitimate.

[jaymo]

while I agree that it will be difficult for our children in school if/when other children or their parents talk about them being stolen or kidnapped .. it DOES happen and this article, while painting all adoptions with the same brush is deplorable, is something that needs to be talked about and stopped. I, too, want to believe that my children's birth mother was not coerced or the children weren't bought but, at the time of our adoption, the lawyers could get a poa from the birth mother so she didn't have to sign the 4 times ... our birth mother did that. Unless we all find the birth families .. we really don't know. we want to believe, and I do, that our adoption is legitimate but I think that we need to realize that there are children who are kidnapped and adopted illegally all over the world. I heard on the news that there are over 7 MILLION children sold and kidnapped into slavery each year ..... 7 MILLION .. that is unreal!
So, I guess I agree with both sides of this horrible issue .... hopefully, one day, it won't have to be an issue
Maura.

[hscott]

Well, our case did go through all of the added steps that were put into place -- extra birth mom interviews...final signatures.... etc. etc....

So, I get frustrated at the lumping of ALL IA cases into one category........... We got caught in every new safeguard that was put into place. Which is fine....I am happy for the peace of mind......

Heather

[ej-momtobe]

Every time i see an article like this, it renews my desire to do a bmom search. I expect that DS will have questions as he grows up and sees articles like this, and I would like to have more concrete answers for him. Even though I have no reason to suspect corruption in my case...I only know what I know, and when I see atricles like this, that doesn't seem good enough.

[susy...patience]

and it made me cringe (esp. the blown-up flow chart).

[mommytoEli]

The Orphan Manufacturing Chain (washingtonpost.com)



i love my "manufactured orphan."

[SKL]

I think at some point we have to tell our kids that these things do happen in some cases, and the reasons why we believe or know that they did not happen in their case. That way if someone confronts them about it, they will not be overly concerned and can educate the other person about it.

[busterleroy]

Good point, SKL. This story is frustrating in and of itself, but the impact it has on conventional wisdom is very disturbing.

[JoshGuat]

I read the article and I do not see where she got her information from. What investigation did she do to retrieve this info? I would love to challenge her. If she would be willing to find my son's birth mom and see what her side of the story is as to why she put our son up for adoption I would welcome it. I would also welcome it, if she found out that he was relinquished out of fraud, she could take this to the Guatemalan courts and I would personally put my son in the birth mom arms. Where is her credibility? She never asked my sons birth mom what her story was. How many families did she investigate before she came to her conclusions? Anyone have her phone number?(I'm serous!) I will call her and challenge her. I certainly do not want to think that my case is fraud, and I am willing to find out!!!! How dare she make slanderous statements about the international adoption community without backing them up!!!

[lcikra00]

I think I will write an article to the Washington Post titled 'EJ Graff, The Manufactured Journalist'. I would love to give her a taste of her own medicine citing how journalists report on issues which they slant before they have actual numbers!!! It irks me so much that she makes it sound like the majority of our babies are 'stolen' or how birth mothers have been 'coerced'. Yes, it does happen, but is it really the majority? I DON'T THINK SO!! Ugh!! I cannot stand ignorant people such as this EJ Graff.